Does the anime give a bad reputation to Pokemon?

I disagree completely with jimeraO, where are your sources for this? Mine are experience. And just because adults like it, it still turns off high schoolers and middle schoolers just as you said, so the final verdict is that even if the anime isn't the main source of knowledge of the franchise (which I am pretty sure it is despite what you think) it STILL has a negative effect on the franchise itself. And whoever said that the anime is like MLP better be trolling or I will flip the sh*t because it isn't even close.

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Wut. His post comes from experience too. You're like, 15, am I right (you have said so in another thread)? He was talking about the ~adult world~. And really, people... stop caring. Some may still see it as a children's game, but don't think you are childish for playing it. That and, of course, the hordes of people that "come out" in adulthood and admit they also play the games, even if only Red/Blue and think the newer pokémon are weird/bad.

I gonna have to agree with what others have said and just say that there would still be people who viewed Pokemon as "childish" even if the anime didn't exist. I imagine it comes from everyone's experience from the late 90s. Most 10 year olds (where I live anyway) would walk around with their game boys and play Pokemon together, they would trade all their Pokemon cards with each other, they would bring their Pokemon-themed kiddie toys... when you see mostly children using Pokemon products, and the franchise is targeted at children, of course people are going to think it is for children. I mean, I don't think you can blame JUST the anime for how certain people perceive the games.

Atsync brings a good point, I know lots of people that observe plush dolls as childish (lets be honest, they really are) as well as the trading card game as childish, which I legitimately believe I am too old for. If pokemon had been kept as a game-only series then it would be perceived so much better.

However, it would be far less popular.
Loads of my friends, and even I, were introduced into/back into pokemon through the anime, for me the latter. The kiddish marketing works, it really does.
I still remember the adverts on TV for heart gold and soul silver; it had the members of 1 direction (a british boy band) playing the game and saying things like "my favorite starter is chikorita because it is soooooo cute!!!". Too many teenagers are too busy playing the worst game series of all time on the worst console of all time, and this would not change if pokemon was marketed to teenagers. They would be too absorbed in the worst game series of all time, I do not want to ruin my post by saying the name.

My opinion about this is double-edged. I do not believe that the anime hurts the franchise in general; however, the anime does hurt the franchise competitively.

The concept of only children playing Pokemon is totally and utterly false. I must make this clear to everyone. You are not mentally deficient, naive, or child-like for liking or participating in Pokemon. In fact, there are adults in college that play plenty of Pokemon; for crying out loud, there are many people in famous companies (i.e. Michael "Rage Quit" Jones from Achievement Hunter, who has made many references to Pokemon when in LPs) that still think the franchise is awesome. There will always be haters towards the series, but a game doesn't determine if someone is a grown-up or a child, cool or uncool. It is what oneself thinks that counts.

However, the anime seems to have shined on fanboys (who I have come across a LOT). I could name a majority of consistencies related to these people, but it would ruin my opinion's message. I'll name the one that has effected me the most (please do not mistake what I am saying; this doesn't apply to ALL fans, just some): acting like Ash equals success.

I cannot begin to explain how false this is. And there are SOME (keyword: some) evidence that this indeed happens competitively. Just look at Charizard's usage in Uber (let alone, a majority of the Pokemon that can be considered a "fan favorite") and you'll see what I mean. Secondly, there are some who believe "X" Pokemon is better than "Y" Pokemon because:

"X beats Y in the anime because it acts stupid/wimpy/lost/etc.; therefore, X beats Y in the game as well."

I digress...

In conclusion, the anime is a double-edged sword: it has helped promote the franchise itself through many media; however, it also can promote senselessness such as the acts above. Overall, I believe that the anime (as hateful I can be towards it) helps the franchise in general, but HURTS the franchise competitively.

Whitney cried after you beat her in the game, in reality she was a childish girl who was just lucky to fight you when your pokemon werent fully evolved and you lacked fighting moves, she took it to it being her own skill and got conceited. In the anime however, she's a hardworking farm-girl who is genuinely talented, anime twists perceptions and makes things not what they seem. Charizard being useful? Ash being weak? If you look at things from a childs mindset thats what your to believe, but if you look at anything analytically even the anime you'll see the truth, the anime is just to show our favorite pokemon on a bigger screen, for kids its appeal is the vibrant action scenes of miraculous monsters, for older players we can view its "detachment" from the game critically. We can discern how useful something is based on performance and setting, Ash surely wouldnt lose to Brandon 3 times in a row, he had to win the last match on plot reasons, that isnt to say Pikachu can all of a sudden beat a fully healed Regice with one attack

Uhh... not being a charizard noob (I don't particularly like him) but charizard is actually a great NU scarf/specs. I mean charizard in ubers is just wrong, but in NU charizard is dangerous so can you guys stop hating him please?

Charizard is being set by the anime to fight Reshiram, its going far beyond Nu, aside from Gary its only able to beat pokemon at the nu level, considering it lost to dusclops, in that sense the anime pegged him right

Agreed with Jimera0 and Mario With Lasers. About Satisfaction's arguments... those are silly, Charizard have great stats, now good abilities, and great movepool, and is actually great in-game, the fact that the meta doesn't like him because Stealth Rock + Insert other reasons why Charizard is not so great on competitive game doesn't make him bad in base or even idea, if just make him bad against what the people is currently using.

The games and the anime had always a different history, anyway, so, that doesn't matter too much, you can also see difference on the remakes and stuff. For end, I personally like the anime, I first started playing Red/Blue, and when I knew about the anime, I just feel enjoy, and actually, I liked a lot the anime, the firsts seasons are the better, but the current seasons are still pretty good, I like to watch Pokémon on the TV, so, I like the anime.

It's giving bad reputation because it's childish? And what matters about that? Mario is childish, too, and it doesn't have an anime now. Pokémon is aimed for being first played by kids, later those kids start to grow up, some forgot about the series, and others recover the love for it and keep playing it at 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, and more years, so, of course Pokémon and its anime are simple and childish! That's the idea behind all, if the anime where a sort of "META SCHOOL!!11!", I could just changed the channel when I was small, and I'm sure I could still changing the channel of a thing of that sort.

Pokémon is unpopular on middle-high schools? Yes, that's true, but that happens to everything you can imagine, and exactly the same happens to every thing that people offen start while they are kids, watching anime? Oh, no, that's a silly child's thing, let's bull that. Collecting figmas or similar? No, they looks like the toys I used to play with, bull that! Playing Mario/Star Fox/Any non-CoD-like-videogame? You're a stupid kid, let's bullying you hard! Why that happens? Simple, when people are at 13-18 years they offen doesn't know what is actually being an adult, but they want to being one, so, they tend to missunderstand the concept, and they think if they get far from what they played and stuff when they were kids they will "grow up", but that is not a fault from Pokémon, or actually, anything at all apart from our kinda pro-"adults" lame society, but that stop matters (at not total, but huge degree) once you enter to the - real - adult life (or at least you truly understand what is and what is not being an adult).

I think it's interesting that most of the arguments here have focused on the concept of childish or immature. To me, I think the anime gives the game a bad reputation, but not because it's "for kids." I started playing Red and Blue when they came out, and I was 13 (go ahead and do the math if you want) and in junior high. I still play Pokemon today. The other adults on the thread have mentioned that after high school, no one gives any kind of shit if you like something "childish," and that's totally true. Yet today, whenever I tell someone that I like Pokemon, I always quickly follow it up with, "But not the show. Shit, man, not the show."

The difference isn't that the anime is "childish," it's that it is objectively stupid. There are plenty of "childish" things I readily admit to being into to people my age: I love Mario, I'm obsessed with dinosaurs, and as a more direct analogue, holy cow was I pissed when Young Justice was canceled, and I still have Powerpuff Girls stuff in my office. Those two shows never talked down to kids, they are smart and clever, and could be enjoyed by people of all ages. That is not true about the Pokemon anime. It's a common complaint by film and TV critics and others that just because the target audience for something is children, does not mean it has to be childish. Kids are typically a lot smarter than you think.

So to me, when I tell someone I like Pokemon and they think I mean the show, they give me the judgey eyes not because it's "a kids' show," but because it's a bad show. It's the same look you get from people if you told them your favorite show was Jersey Shore, or if you thought The Phantom Menace was the best of the 6 Star Wars movies, or that Nickelback is your favorite band. You don't get that look when you say you like Mario, dinosaurs, or Powerpuff Girls. As much as we don't want to admit it, even though an opinion is an opinion, the vast majority of people won't think it's an opinion, they'll think you're wrong. In high school, it may be about being picked on. As a business professional, it's about people questioning your judgment and wondering if you're a good fit for their organization. That last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but c'mon. Who wants to hang out with a Nickelback fan??

So absolutely the games get a bad reputation from the show, because if someone isn't familiar with the games, they're at least familiar with the show, and they probably know that show is terrible. And they'll associate related things with being terrible, too - and that's kinda just how we work, as like, people.

Oh, yeah, btw, the anime is not that great, but I think it's not that bad, either, is kinda avarage, some episodes are really lame, others are really meh, and others are really cool/adorable, and at the end, the show is still teaching stuff, showing the Pokémon world, it still have action, new things to watch and stuff, but I understand someone doesn't like the show, as it's not that great, either.

I don't think the anime ruins the reputation of Pokemon. Though the anime is childish (then again...it's marketed toward children anyways), the older crowd still has Pokemon commentators (such as JWittz), Nuzlocke artists, and (now) the more mature Pokemon: The Origin :).

It actually is, if you think in hindsight. Sure it doesn't seem all too complex to us, because we are use to it, but it is unfathomably deep.

I can write an essay on just the concept of breeding a perfect pokemon. Don't get me started on how just the inclusion of one move can have a huge impact on the game, #Stealth Rock, let alone a roster of new pokemon, moves and abilities.

Pokemon has a bad reputation? This is new to me. Around here, Pokemon is pretty much universally loved by everyone who isn't that retarded teenager who thinks he's all mature and edgy just cause he plays games like CoD and Halo. The show and the games seem to go hand in hand. One doesn't detract from the other, though most people I talk to agree that Ash is somehow simultaneously an idiot trainer and an amazing battler at the same time. (he needs to evolve more things than he does) There's also a running gag among my circle of Xbox players that Ash's pikachu is at least level 200 and has perfect IVs and 255 EVs in every stat, but gets reset to lvl 1 each time a new series starts.

The anime really is crazy childish, with Mister Dumbass Ash who is the dumbest idiot on earth, with the stupid ass Pikachu who can't beat a level 5 starter after 5 gens and it's useless followers that make you want to kill them. All of that with episodes that are REALLY getting repetitive and boring. And it's probably one of the first thing that pop in people's mind when you say Pokemon.

So I'd say it obviously has a negative impact on the serious side of Pokemon

With all the GOOD anime such as bleach, death note, DBZ, FMAB, clannad, black butler etc, obviously pokemon is inferior cause its for kids......but i gotta admit origins was FREAKIN EPIC

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You forgot Detective Conan, but I'll let that slide.

I really like the first season, but that's due to nostalgia. They made Ash really goofy and it comes off too silly to be taken seriously, I think. With regards to Origin, yeah it was amazing, but it was way too short. I understand that it was a nod/advertisement for X&Y to us older fans, but it was still just way too short. A series done by the same people that had 20+ episodes would be "FREAKIN EPIC."

I really like the first season, but that's due to nostalgia. They made Ash really goofy and it comes off too silly to be taken seriously, I think. With regards to Origin, yeah it was amazing, but it was way too short. I understand that it was a nod/advertisement for X&Y to us older fans, but it was still just way too short. A series done by the same people that had 20+ episodes would be "FREAKIN EPIC."

Charizard is being set by the anime to fight Reshiram, its going far beyond Nu, aside from Gary its only able to beat pokemon at the nu level, considering it lost to dusclops, in that sense the anime pegged him right

My opinion about this is double-edged. I do not believe that the anime hurts the franchise in general; however, the anime does hurt the franchise competitively.

The concept of only children playing Pokemon is totally and utterly false. I must make this clear to everyone. You are not mentally deficient, naive, or child-like for liking or participating in Pokemon. In fact, there are adults in college that play plenty of Pokemon; for crying out loud, there are many people in famous companies (i.e. Michael "Rage Quit" Jones from Achievement Hunter, who has made many references to Pokemon when in LPs) that still think the franchise is awesome. There will always be haters towards the series, but a game doesn't determine if someone is a grown-up or a child, cool or uncool. It is what oneself thinks that counts.

However, the anime seems to have shined on fanboys (who I have come across a LOT). I could name a majority of consistencies related to these people, but it would ruin my opinion's message. I'll name the one that has effected me the most (please do not mistake what I am saying; this doesn't apply to ALL fans, just some): acting like Ash equals success.

I cannot begin to explain how false this is. And there are SOME (keyword: some) evidence that this indeed happens competitively. Just look at Charizard's usage in Uber (let alone, a majority Pokemon that can be considered a "fan favorite") and you'll see what I mean. Secondly, there are some who believe "X" Pokemon is better than "Y" Pokemon because:

"X beats Y in the anime because it acts stupid/wimpy/lost/etc.; therefore, X beats Y in the game as well."

I digress...

In conclusion, the anime is a double-edged sword: it has helped promote the franchise itself through many media; however, it also can promote senselessness such as the acts above. Overall, I believe that the anime (as hateful I can be towards it) helps the franchise in general, but HURTS the franchise competitively.

Click to expand...

This are ALMOST my exact thoughts, so thanks for saving me writing an essay rofl. But i guess i have to add something:

To me, there are some variables to the position the fanbase take when growing up to the games and the franchise, separately. On one hand we have the half-brained teenager that thinks that since the anime and a lot of its merchandise is bought by children it is automatically childish. One a second position, we have those who keep playing pokemon as they grow up, and generally realize that the anime has the quality of the last 10 naruto manga episodes, if you get what im saying. On the third group, and the one where i am included, are the ones who entered the fanbase as relatively grown up guys/girls.

The way i see it, the first group isnt actually affected in any way competitively, since it doesnt belong to the circle. The next 2 groups, imo, arent affected by the view the anime gives of pokemon, since, as i said, they realize the anime IS crap as they grow up, and, as we are seeing how our competitive community is growing thanks to GF's efforts, it doesnt take too much to take the idea of "charizard > reshiram" or something along those lines, since they are generally mature. And, as for the Charizard usage in Ubers and those type of stuff, honestly, we are always gonna be seeing the newbies, but learning isnt that hard if they actually put just a little thought into it or even ask for some slight help, just a simple push to the right side and theyll get progressively better, as opposed to sticking with a non'EVd Pikachu.

This are ALMOST my exact thoughts, so thanks for saving me writing an essay rofl. But i guess i have to add something:

To me, there are some variables to the position the fanbase take when growing up to the games and the franchise, separately. On one hand we have the half-brained teenager that thinks that since the anime and a lot of its merchandise is bought by children it is automatically childish. One a second position, we have those who keep playing pokemon as they grow up, and generally realize that the anime has the quality of the last 10 naruto manga episodes, if you get what im saying. On the third group, and the one where i am included, are the ones who entered the fanbase as relatively grown up guys/girls.

The way i see it, the first group isnt actually affected in any way competitively, since it doesnt belong to the circle. The next 2 groups, imo, arent affected by the view the anime gives of pokemon, since, as i said, they realize the anime IS crap as they grow up, and, as we are seeing how our competitive community is growing thanks to GF's efforts, it doesnt take too much to take the idea of "charizard > reshiram" or something along those lines, since they are generally mature. And, as for the Charizard usage in Ubers and those type of stuff, honestly, we are always gonna be seeing the newbies, but learning isnt that hard if they actually put just a little thought into it or even ask for some slight help, just a simple push to the right side and theyll get progressively better, as opposed to sticking with a non'EVd Pikachu.

Very true. And the anime overall is just marketed towards children to make money with lackluster diolouge, characters and plot.
The logic in the anime is absurd, with pikachu being able to beat a regice , but unable to beat a lv 5 snivy and (in the new anime) unable to beat a bunnelsby. WTF.
Probably the most ridiculous logic in the show so far is when ash's pignite beat both a heatmor and emboar at the same time with a flame charge (or a fire pledge, i dont remember). The anime is so predictable, with ash losing the league and befriending pokemon........with too many cliches aswell. Children like the show, but to an anime fan like me, the show is a disgrace to anime (the movies are terrible too)